Machine for fitting closure-caps to cans.



W. Sim. MACHINE FOR FITTING CLOSURE GAPS TO CANS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3,1912. I

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

SIM. MACHINE FOR FITTING CLOSURE GAPS TO CANS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3,1912.

all/fauna lg W. SIM. MACHINE FOB. FITTING CLOSURE GAPS T0 CANS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1912.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915 a SHEETSSHEET a.

FIG l0 FIG 9 FIG 3 n the holein the top so that it cannot UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. g

WILLIAM SIM, OF UNDER-WOOD, INVEBCABGILL,

' OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

worn a 00.,

Specification of Letters ratent.

NEW ZEALAND, ASSIGNOR TO TO RB-IS LOSURE-CAPS TO CANS.

Application flledJune 3, 1312 Serial No. 701,412.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM SIM, of Underwood, Invercargill, New Zealand, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Fitting Closure-Caps to Cans, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to cans or tins and the like made for containing preserved milk, jams, paint and other substances. Such cans are usually made cylindrical in shape, with the bottom end closed and the top end closed except for a usually circular hole left to enable the contents to be put in. When the can has been filled a flanged cap is fitted in the hole to close the can. It is necessary that this cap should hold securely, andyin the case of perishable contents, form an airtight closure to the can, and to effect this various methods of securing the cap have been employed, as for instance, by soldering it on, or by pressing it into the hole, (which isthen provided with a recessed flange or lip) so as to hold by friction. The whole top of the can in some cases has been double seamed on without using solder, but all these methods involve the confinement of air in the cans, and the last mentioned method often bursts the cans.

My invention consists in an improved machine for fitting closure caps in the tops of cans as hereinafter described. By my invention, the cap is made perfectly secure without the use of solder, so that the can is airtight at the cap, the contents cannot escape, no air is confined in'the cans, and the cans and contents are not injured in any Xccording to my invention I employ a flanged cap, and secure it on the can by expanding from within the edge or periphery of the dish of the cap so as to force it under the top of the can around the hole therein,

the whole cap at the same time being forced down on, and expanded against the edge of, of the can, in such a way that the cap is secured firmly on the can without solder, with .an airtight closure, and fall or be accidently knocked out. I also arrange means whereby the cans to be capped are automatically fed in for capping, held while the capping takes place, and then automatically discharged.

, jury to the For carrying out the forego'ng operations I provide a machine which is adapted to feed into a capping device the cans after they have been filled and the caps laid in place on the holes in the cans, next to press the cap firmly in and expand it as before to secure it in position, at the same time pressing the whole can top to the required level, and then to discharge the capped cans.

My invention is employed preferably with cans having a plain hole therein, but is also applicable to cans with a hole having a flange or lip, but with flanged hoies there is likelihood of air being confined in the cans and often damagingthe contents, and the expense of making can tops with flanged holes is greater. As no solder is required to secure the caps by my invention, risk of incontents of the cans by heat is avoided, and the expense incident to soldering is done away with.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the machine which I have devised for carrying out my invention, Figure 1 is a top view of the machine with head gear removed, Fig. 2 is an end View of the machine showing the head gear with eccentric disks in section, Fig. 3 is a side view of the lower part of the machine, head gear removed, Fig. 4 is an elevation of the head gear in vertical section, Fig. 5 is an end view of the expanding head, Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional elevation on a larger scale of part of the de- Fig. 7 is with the cap placed in the hole, detail section showing the top of a can with the cap secured in thetop, Fig. 9 is a top view of a can with the cap fixed in position, Fig. 10 is a detail plan view showing t e feeding slide drawn back to receive the can before pushing it against the stop 61.

the said end 10 and working on a fulcrum Patented Mar. 16, 1915, y

11 on the head gear supporting bracket 12 mounted on the table 37. The other end of the lever 67 is forked and pivotally connected to a collar 19 on a threaded portion of .the hollow depression shaft 43 on which it is fixed by a locknut 69. The depression shaft 43 at its enlarged lower end 72 is journaled andslides in bearings 18, and has feathered onits upper end by a feather 59 in groove 58 a revolving sleeve 44 journaled in bearings 17, the bearings 17, 18, being mounted on extensions of the bracket 12. On the sleeve 44 is a pulley 15 held in place by a lock nut 45 on the threaded reduced upper end of the sleeve 44. The'depression shaft 43 can thus revolve freely and is also capable of up and down movement, the sleeve 44 revolving with it but not being capable of up and down movement.

On one end of the shaft 5 is a pulley 1 driven by suitable power, and when the shaft is thus revolved the rod 9 is actuated by the eccentric disk 3 to give an up and down movement to the lever 67 and thus to the depression shaft 43. On the top of the head gear bracket 12 are journaled two guide pulleys 14 both on the same spindle. A driving belt 81 from another pulley (not shown) driven by any suitable partly around one of the guide pulleys 14, partly around the pulley l5 driving depression shaft 43 and back partly around the other guide pulley 14, this belt being crossed as indicated in Fig. 2 so as to revolve the depression shaft 43 and its attachments. On the end of the shaft 5 is a sprocket wheel 32. and a sprocket chain 66 passes around this Wheel 32 and around another sprocket wheel 33 on the end of a shaft 36 journaled in bearings on the frame just under the table 37, the shaft 36 thus being driven ofl the shaft 5. Fixed to the shaft 36 and projecting respectively through apertures 38, 41, in the table 37 are two pulleys 34, 35. The endless feeding belt 76 passes around the pulley 34 at one end of the table 37 and around a pulley 34 at the other end, and similarly the endless discharging belt 77 passes around the pulleys 35 and 35 The pulleys 34 35* are mounted on a shaft journaled in suitable bearing brackets 71 bolted underneath the table 37. Fixed guides or fences 39 are provided on the table for the feeding belt, and similar guides or fences 39 for the discharging belt. On the shaft 5 is a second eccentric disk 30 like the eccentric disk 3, and this eccentric disk 30 is connected to one end of and actuates a short lever 68, which is fulcrumed near its center on the frame 2, and has its other end pivotally connected to the end of a lever 28. This'lever 28 is fulcrumed in a bracket 29 mounted on the frame 2, and its other end projects through an aperture 0n the table 37 and is swiveled to a nut on power passes the threaded end of the adjusting rod 65 of the feeding slide 40. The other end of the rod 65 is su a forked stud 27 projecting from the feeding slide 40 which is adapted to slide to and fro on the guides 78. In front of the feeding slide 40 is an extension 62 nose to guide the incoming can against the stop 61. For square cans the nose/would be L shaped. From the foregoing it will be seen that when the pulleys l and 15 are driven, all the parts of the machine are set in motion, the depression shaft 43 being revolved and worked up and down, the belts 76, 77 moved, and the feeding slide 40 moved to and fro. hese parts are of course arranged so that their positions at a given moment are such as to cooperate for the purpose in View.

As the cans 60 are filled, the dished caps 63 are laid in position on the holes in the can tops, as shown in Fig. 7, and the cans are placed on the feeding belt 76 each can following the one preceding it. The belt 76 as it travels, carries on the cans 60 between the fences 39 until the leading can comes into the position 24 against the end of the curved nose of extension 62 of the feeding slide 40 which at this moment is in the withdrawn position as shown in Fig.

The operation of the machine continuing, the feeding slide moves forward, and the curved nose of extension 62 guides the leading can against the adjustable stop 61, the position now being as shown in Fig. 1, the can thus being held directly under the depression shaft 43 ready for the capping operation. 'The feeding slide 40 then in the sequence of operation withdraws again ready for the next can.

The enlarged lower end 72 of the hollow depression shaft 43, as before mentioned is journaled in and can slide up and down in the bearing 18. Projecting downward from the bearing 18 are four equidistant guide of which is hung the depression plate 23. Spiral springs 25, coiled on the guide rods 22, normally keep the depression plate 23 down as far as it can go. Attached to the depression plate 23 by screws is a guide plate 26 which has a central hole therein through which passes the head of the expanding roller 53 hereinafter described audits under surfacehas also a bevel edged groove 80 adapted to center the can under the depression-plate 23- which presses down the flange of the cap 63 in the capping operation, by forcing the projection 82 against the cap.

In the wall of the enlarged hollow end 72 of the depression shaft are recesses through which project respectively limit pins. 75. These recesses are longer than the diameter of the pins, and the latter extend into threaded holes in the plunger 42 which lies with a curved pported between the-ends of partly within the portion 72 and slides on the expanding pin 79. The expanding pin 79 is tapped into the top of the enlarged end 72 of the depression shaft 43, its threaded upper end projecting therefrom and having a locknut 73 thereon and a squared end 47. The lower end of the expanding pin 79 extends down through the upper end of the plunger 42, which slides on it and against the inner wall of the portion 72, into the enlarged lower end of said plunger which forms the expanding head 48. The plunger 42 thus is capable of a rising and falling movement the extent of which is limited by the pins 75. Pivoted within the expanding head 48 and projecting through the slotted hole 49 therein is a bevel ended lever 52 pivoted on a pin 50. This bevel ended lever 52 is pivoted in the center of the expanding head 48 and is normally kept centered by a stop pin 55 and spring 56 which is fitted in a sleeve secured within the expanding head 48 by screws 51. On the lower end of the bevel ended lever is a beaded expandingroller 53 which revolves on an axle 54 by means of which also it is attached to the bevel ended lever 52. A small clearance 57 is provided between the depression plate 23 and the guide plate 26, so as to allow about three sixteenths of an inch up and down play so that the expandingroller will be flush with the guide plate 26 when out of action thus allowing the cans to enter under the guide plate 26 and take up position for capping against the stop 61. A spiral spring 74 normally keeps the plunger 42 as far down as the pins 75 will permit.

The can 60 having been fed against'the stop 61 as before described with cap 63 in position, the depression shaft 43 is now in the sequence of operation forced down by the lever 67 with the depression plate 23 and guide plate 26 attached thereto hanging on the rim at the bottom of the expanding head 48 and balanced by the guide rods 22, and the guide plate 26 touches the top of the can gently but firmly by its own weight aided by the springs 25. The can prevents its descending farther but this slight pressure is suflicient to cause the beveled recess 80 in the guide plate 26 to absolutely center the can 60, so that the cap 63 is immediately under the beaded expand ingroller 53. The depression shaft 43 continuing to descend, and the guide plate 26 being hard against'the top of the can, the expanding head 48 is forced forward in the expanding plate 23 as permitted by the open space 57 between rim of expanding head 48 and expansion plate 23 and this forces the expanding head 48 against the guide plate 26 which causes the projection 82 to drive the cap 63 home in the hole in the top of the can, and also flatten the flange of the cap against the top of the can. At the same time the beaded expanding-roller 53 is pushed through the hole in the guide plate 26 into the hollow of the cap 63. The hole is as large as the bead on roller'so that when the bead is pushed out the neck of the roller which is smaller than the bead has room to cant sidewise. The depression shaft 43 continuing to descend, its enlarged end 72 moves down the plunger 42, closes the space between it and the top of the expanding head 48 meets the latter carrying with it also the expanding pin 79, so that the lower end of the pin 79 presses hard on the beveled top of the lever 52. As the lever is pivotally hung in the expanding head 48 it is forced out of its normal central posi* tion so that the lever and the beaded ex panded roller 53 are canted slightly and forced hard against the sides of the cap 63 and as far as possible into the hollow of the cap as indicated in Fig. 8. The depression shaft 43, expanding head 48 and lever 52 are revol ing all the time, so while the beaded expanding-roller 53 is canted in the hollow of the cap 63 it is expanding the side of the cap against the edge of the hole in the top of the can, and is also expanding the lower part of the side of the cap outward and upward against the under side of the top of the can, making a tight unsoldered joint with the can top squeezed between the flange and the lower expanded part of the cap as shown at 64 Fig. 8. In the sequence of operation the depression shaft 43 is then raised by the lever 67 drawing the depression plate 23, uide plate 26 and expansion pin 79 with it, so that the lever 52 once more assumesits normal position inside the expansion head 48, properly centered by means of the spring 56 and stop 55, and the headed roller 53 becomes flush with'the projection 82 as in Fig. 4 allowing the next can to slide in below the guide plate 26 without striking the roller 53. In the meantime the feeding slide 40 has commenced to slide the next can 24 Fig. 10 forward so that the incoming can 24 pushes the capped can 60 along the beveled face of the stop 61 on to the discharging belt 77 which conveys it to the other end of the table 37, while the can 60 is guided into position 24 against stop 61 to have the capping operation performed on it.

The various parts of the machine are made adjustable where necessary. The stop 61 can be adjusted by means of a screw and slot to suit the size of can to be held in position. The expanding pin 79 can be adjusted by unscrewing the lock nut 73 and turning the threaded end in the shaft 43 by means of a. spanner at the square end 47. The feeding slide 40 can be adjusted by means of the threaded rod with the nut thereon.

plate and provided with a frusto-conical recess in its lower face adapted to receive the end of a can and center the same.

2." In a can capping machine, a revoluble' depression shaft, 9. headin fixed relation to said shaft and having a centrally disposed recess, a bearing for said shaft, a movable depression plate supported by said bearing, and having a stem reciprocable in said re- 7 cess, spring means arranged to yieldably I for automatically conveying cans to capping position, vertically reciprocating means rehold said plate away from said bearing, a guide plate mounted. on said depression plate and provided with afrusto-conical recess in its lower face adapted to receive the end of a'can and center the same, and beading means carried by said shaft and head.

nation of a support, vertically reciprocating means resiliently mounted in said support for forcing a cap into an opening in the can, and rotatable -means for laterally expanding the cap within said opening.

4'. In a can capping machine, the combi nation of a support, verticallyreciprocating means resiliently mounted in said support and having means for centering the can to be capped and forcing the cap into the opening therefor, and rotatable means for later'ally' expanding the cap within said open- 1n v Q In a can capping machine, the-combination of a frame, means mounted thereon siliently mounted on the frame for centering the cans to be capped and laterally movable expanding means rotatably mounted within said reciprocating means.

6. In a can capping machine, the 'combination of a frame, means mounted thereon for automatically conveying cans to capping position, a bearing member on the frame, verticallv reciprocating means resiliently mounted on said bearing member for center- 3. In a can capping machine, the combiing the can to be capped, and laterally movable expanding means rotatably mounted in said bearing member.

7. In a can capping machine, the combination of a frame, means mounted thereon for automatically conveying cans to capping position, a support on the frame, a vertically reciprocating member resiliently mounted on said support and having means for centering the can to be capped and'forcing the cap into the opening therefor and laterally movable expanding means rotatably mounted in said support.

8. In a can capping machine, the combination of aframe, a conveyer mounted thereon, I

automatically operated means adjacent said conveyer for positioning the can to be capped, a support mounted on the frame provided with a bearing, means resiliently mounted on said support for centering the can to be capped and forcing the cap into the opening therefor, and laterally movable expanding means rotatably mounted in said bearing.

9. In a can capping machine, the combination of a frame, means mounted thereon'for automatically conveying cans to capping position, bearing members on the frame, a rotatable depression shaft mounted therein, a

vertically reciprocable plate resiliently mounted on one of said bearing members,

and carrying means for centering a can to be capped and for forcing the cap into the opening therefor, and a laterally movable expanding means carried by said depression shaft;

10. In a can capping machine, thecombination of a frame, means mounted thereon for automatically conveying cans to capping position, bearing members mounted on the frame, a depression shaft mounted in said, be'aring members, means for depresslng th shaft at intervals, a vertically reciprocabl clamping plate resiliently mounted on one of said bearing members and embracing the end of the depression shaft, and a laterally movable expansion means carried by the depression shaft and movable thereby to expand the cap to form anair tight joint between the cap and the 'can.

In testimony whereof affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

7 WILLIAM SIM."

lrVitnesses: v

CHARLES HENRY RO ERTS, JOHN HENRY GILBERTSON. 

